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9/2/09

This is the ultimate question that Raptors fans have been wondering for awhile now. But not just them, but the league as a whole league has, with not only Bosh but Wade and James. ESPN had their 50+ basketball experts chime in. They only had 3 of them come back with Toronto as the answer. Here is the article if you failed to see it.

Ok first off, the fact ESPN has over 50 so called "experts" or as they refer to in the article as observers is truly scary. Second and more important it is critical to understand that ESPN has a bias and agenda in this stuff. They need to hype up the 2010 draft class because they have made it into this huge deal. It seems that James and Wade may end up going no where so why not Bosh to move. Not sure they counted on Bryan Colangelo being so successful at his make over of the Raptors. ESPN is in the rumour spreading and selling business. If 2010 free agent class turns into what this blog predicted as the basketball equivalent of Y2K it makes ESPN look BAD. So the fact 49 of their 52 folks see Bosh on the move is hardly shocking. To be honest, I read it and yawned loudly. It is really the same old thing. But honestly what really does ESPN know about the Raptors? They do cover so many of our games don't they? Sure they have one of our former players in Jalen Rose (also Mark Jones brother of Paul Jones). Jalen guaranteed that not just Bosh but James would end up being Knicks. I am pretty sure it is not a money back or satisfaction guaranteed prediction. However maybe it should be given that ESPN charges people for their "Insider" info. How they are able to pull that off is pure genius to me. It is proof that P.T Barnum was right when he said "there is a sucker born every minute". It pains me to point out this next fact to ESPN and all the suckers..opps I mean NBA ESPN Insider subscribers, but you may be dead wrong AGAIN.

It seems that here in Toronto an article in the Globe and Mail (Via Real GM) is painting a different picture. Bosh if you recall I believe in July had stated, what most knowledgeable folks already were aware of, that he would in fact play out his contract and opt out to become a free agent. This was hardly a newsflash. However an economic outlook for the league as a whole that is grim, combined with an off-season that was truly remarkable from Bryan Colangelo may have opened minds and doors. Bosh who once said that considering an extension was not an option has now left the door open to at least listen about one. Does this sound like the move of a man ready to bolt faster than the Jamaican sprinter out of Canada. It sure does not sound like the guy who has been counting the days till he can escape being in exile here in the far off land of the Great White North.

Now listening and signing are two complete different things. However when you consider that it was not even an option and now it is that is progress. What will ESPN do if the poster child for making 2010 relevant signs with the Raptors. Pray the Cavs and Heat fail most likely. I have said all along that based on all that we all have observed Chris Bosh to me seems happy to be a Raptor and happy to be in Toronto. The only thing he has ever wanted is to be able to win and have a team around him that is capable of doing that. So for as much as it is about dollars and cents it is about winning to with Chris Bosh. There are lots of teams that would gladly pay him top dollar to come play for them. However Chris has always said for him it is about winning. I have no reason to suggest it is not.

The outlook should Bosh amazingly sign an extension would be drastically different in some ways. This team and Bosh would not have the distraction of the Bosh Free Agent Circus coming to town everywhere the Raptors played on the road. It would allow this team to be focused on Bosh's main goal to win. It would also add to the summer in which Bryan Colangelo has made the impossible become possible. Bosh is spending time in Africa right now so it is not like this will happen tomorrow or next week. But the fact we are even having a conversation that it could blows my mind.

However, no matter if he does or doesn't the fact remains that I truly believe that Bosh as he said years back wants to be part of the solution here in Toronto. I also think Chris likes to have "his own" team and is not just going to change jersey's for the sake of it. You can make all the fake arguments you want about media exposure and all of the rest. However the truth is Chris Bosh has a pretty sweet deal being the best player on the only team in a country. I think he understands that and gets what that means.

He saw what it was like when Vince Carter checked out and what has happened since. I don't think Chris Bosh wants to go out like that in Toronto. The day may come when Chris is no longer a Raptor but it seems that a lot of signs point to it not being as soon as everyone thinks or hopes in some cases.

Does anyone have an answer to the question that is our title? Yup, one guy and that is Chris Bosh. He has made it no secret he is not a fan of the constant 2010 questions and if he signed and extension all of those questions would go away. It seemed like something that was never possible even a month ago. However now there is a small light to think...MAYBE. If not it really is not the end of the discussion. The only thing fans here can do if it doesn't is cheer this guy and make him feel wanted and needed. He still is, despite all the changes this team has made, the best player on it. If you are going to boo Chris Bosh this year at anytime..pause take a breath and think about it for everyone's sake.

If Steve Nash can sign with a Suns team that shows very little promise going forward. Is it really so crazy for Bosh to do the same with a team that seems on the right track? I truly personally hope this is not the end and just a new beginning. It has been a pleasure to watch Bosh mature and grow as both a player and a person. It has been a privilege and a joy and not one that I am will to give up. Not that I get to have much say in it. Wait maybe I do.

We had a poll of our staff here at Dino Nation Blog and 1 of our 1 basketball observers thinks that Chris Bosh will remain a Raptor. That is free of charge by the way for all of you wonderful readers of the Dino Nation Blog. That means about the same as what 50 + people think at ESPN...Nothing. Only Bosh knows or will decide and that is the bottom line cause CB4 said so? If you want Chris Bosh to stay in Toronto give me a hell yeah?

6 comments:

A signed extension would be a wonderful thing. Raps nation could flood thousands of american blogs and message boards with our special brand of smugness.

However, I do think Bosh will leave, but leave cooperatively, i.e. he will allow Colangelo to explore all sign and trade options. That, in the end, could lead to a better outcome for the franchise. The struggle to retain Bosh is tied to our collective ego as fans and Canadians. But really we should take a page out of Bosh's playbook: why not sit back and see what opportunities present themselves next offseason?

That's just Jalen having to do his job. (Or it may have been Jalen trying to get his job as I think he made that comment before he signed a regular deal with ESPN) Also, he took the Raptors as his surprise team this year so I guess he does still like us.

I guess people on both sides like to believe what they want to believe. No matter what anyone says, a lot of people think he will bolt, and no matter what anyone says a lot of people think he'll stay. Most of those being Bosh fans.

The thing about it is, it puts pressure on BC and at the same time, lessons the critisizm if he does trade him.

For example, If we play out this season and he doesn't stay even if we make playoffs, say we even make the second round, and it's aparent that there was a deal early in the season, or at the trading deadline that we didn't take, it would be hard for BC to justify not pulling the trigger, when it's looked back on.

Like what could he say, "oh we really thought we had a shot to keep him, we're surprised he was not interested in staying, except to get more cash in a S&T,". Becasue you trade him now you can trade him for another player or collection of players making 16-17 mil, but the longer we wait, the less return we can expect. If he leaves we'll only have 6-7 mil capspace, that's if we take no salary back in a S&T.

And it's not jsut ESPN. Near the End of last season, Adrian Woj. from Yahoo said he "did not know anyone" around the NBA that thinks Bosh is resigning here. Things may have changed, but alot of people think Jalen is just talking out of his ass, but Bosh and Hadi's company designed his website, and when SAS called Bosh "Manute Bol in short dreads" Bosh had Rose on speed dial. So it's not like Jalen has no connection to Bosh. Now whether Chris's mind is made up, that's another question.

But lets say after all these moves and with the contracts BC signed, if this year is not a success, what's the point of keeping him here and paying him more money for the next 5 or 6 years? Maybe there's a better fit out there for all parites.

Either way, I am optimsitic and hopeful based on what I heard that Bosh's head is in the right place and he will give it his all this year. We've got enough around him that if he does his thing, and uses th asaved energy to play defennse now hat we have more help for him, we could do good things.

I felt he gave up last year. And I'm still kind of iffy as to wheter he gets it completely in regards to the competitive mindset. Today in an interview on the Fan he talked about his toughness being questioned. He said "toughness is defense and rebounding", what I would have preferred to here, is "defense and rebounding is toughness". Do you see the difference? becasue Toughness is also about not backing down, not alowing easy layups and dunks, not letting guys get their confidence up by punking you, having your teamates back on the court, and not being afraid to swing the elbows when KG is chest to chest, especially when you're supposed to be the leader of the team, and not complaining about the home crowd's reaction to your failures.

I hope Bosh gets that he needs to be a beast this year, and not jsut a stat collecter.

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